M105 Ultra Cut vs. Wet Sanding - Need Advice

[LedFoot]

Well unfortunately I have a lot of scratches on my car's roof, hood, and rear deck lid. From a few feet away you can't see them, but up close it looks like the car was wiped with an abrasive brush. I think what caused it was hasty snow/ice removal in the winter. There doesn't appear to be any kind of clearcoat failure (as posted in the thread on that topic). These are definitely scratches.

Anyway, my first attempt to get rid of the scratches was with the Deep Crystal paint cleaner. That didn't work so I tried Scratch X 2.0 and applied to a test spot. After a few applications with "passion" there was little improvement if any. I thought for sure the Ultimate Compound would do the trick but no luck with that either. Again I did 3 applications and the test area still looks the same as the other affected areas. All my applications were done by hand using a foam applicator pad.

So I'm thinking my next step is to try the M105 Ultra Cut compound or wet sand (followed by compound), then polish and wax. I'm certainly no detailing expert but I have conquered a couple paint catastrophies with my car so I've learned a thing or two, but this seems like a really challenging task. It would be my guess that these scratches are fairly deep in the clearcoat and that the clearcoat itself is fairly hard.

I'm thinking I have no other options but to break out the big guns and do the wet sanding or the ultra cut. I don't have a rotary or orbital buffer so I will either give in and buy one or do the work by hand. Hopefully I can figure out how to post pics here...

Any thoughts on what I should do and why? Thanks in advance!!!

[LedFoot]

Scratch marks on roof:


Scratch marks on roof (different angle):



Car from 3 feet away:

[Marc08EX]

I did a car that looked like that and was able to revive it temporarily. Within a year, his CC eventually failed. To me, that looks like a different type of CC failure. At least on the verge of starting it. I really hope I'm wrong though.

Here's the link to the detail I did years ago:
What do you guys think about this one (Results are in!)

Take a look at the trunk's condition prior to detailing. It looks similar to your pic. They look more like scratches.

[Showmob]

Before you think about sanding give a da polisher a try removing scratches by hand is tedious and way more trouble then its worth. A polisher will give you a deeper cut and better results with less effort. I would try ultimate compound and 105 with a da before wet sanding.

[LedFoot]

Before you think about sanding give a da polisher a try removing scratches by hand is tedious and way more trouble then its worth. A polisher will give you a deeper cut and better results with less effort. I would try ultimate compound and 105 with a da before wet sanding.

That is kinda what I was thinking too. It's the next logical step. Wet sanding is last resort.

[LedFoot]

I did a car that looked like that and was able to revive it temporarily. Within a year, his CC eventually failed. To me, that looks like a different type of CC failure. At least on the verge of starting it. I really hope I'm wrong though.

Here's the link to the detail I did years ago:
What do you guys think about this one (Results are in!)

Take a look at the trunk's condition prior to detailing. It looks similar to your pic. They look more like scratches.

I don't think the CC is failing, it definitely looks like a bunch of scratches but the CC is not peeling or flaking or anything.


Thanks for the responses guys!

[MCA]

Definitely get a "real" polisher (rotary or DA) and try 105 before you wetsand. Wetsanding is going to leave marring behind that will probably need 105 to clear up anways...your arm will fall off if you have to remove wetsand marring by hand.

[Please Wash Me Detailing]

105 works wonders.
Your paint looks like cc failiur but its a pic.
105 is always my go to.
By hand is rediculious, you need mechanical power to do tge job right.

[LedFoot]

Yeah I'm definitely going to buy a DA polisher then in the next week or two. I will try using the Ultimate Compund first and if no luck then it will be the 105. If the 105 leaves any scratches behind (as far as I know it really shouldnt) I guess I can smooth it over with Scratch X 2.0 or the deep crystal paint cleaner.

Are there any particular pads you guys recommend I use for the DA with the 105? And is there any benefit to using the DA over rotary, or vice versa?


I don't think it is CC failure. This didn't happen on it's own. Last winter we got a couple terrible snowstorms and I remember hastily removing snow & ice with a scraper and after that I started noticing the scratches. They are on all panels of the car where snow accumulates. There is no paint fade, haze, or chipping/peeling. I will post more pics that are not taken in direct sunlight. My guess is that the clearcoat is very hard and that's why the Ultimate Compound by hand didn't help. So hopefully the DA will work. Thanks again.

[andytsang]

If you have to go wet sanding, please take a look of this thread by Mr. Stoops

The Power of 3000 Grit

Hope this help.